Guest(s): Grant Adkisson, Gail Allen, And Vern Thomson
The great commission calls us to go and make disciples of ALL nations. Today, hear from a group of men whose goal is to reach the "cowboy nation." It's a unique way of reaching families with the Gospel of Christ through the Cowboy Church. For four generations Grant Adkisson and his family have been hunting and guiding in Colorado. Grant's Grandfather homesteaded in Colorado in 1888 to run cattle and sell beef to the gold miners during the Cripple Creek Gold Rush. Later, in the early 1900's, he helped guide and outfit President Teddy Roosevelt on two of his Colorado hunts. Around 1920, Grant's father's family homesteaded just West of Canon City, on land around what is now the Royal Gorge. They immediately began hunting Mule Deer on the ranch and guiding guests in annual hunting camps. Read more about Grant Adkisson. Gail Allen is by profession a rancher in southeastern Colorado near the town of La Junta. He and his family own and run a cow and calf operation. Gail and his wife, Millie, have five Daughters, four sons-in-law, and 14 grandchildren. The whole family is involved in agriculture and cattle production. Gail is also a cowboy pastor. In 2005, his family started Valley Cowboy Church in La Junta, Colorado. For five years the church met at the La Junta Livestock Auction barn until they were able to purchase a building of their own in 2011. Since the mid-1980's, Gail has preached at cowboy church services at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, National High School Finals Rodeo, National Junior High Finals Rodeo, Colorado State High School Rodeos, Colorado Junior Rodeos, Little Britches Rodeos and various other rodeos across Colorado. For about 10 years Gail was a national director on the Fellowship of Christian Cowboy's board. Gail and his family were instrumental in starting the High Plains Rodeo Bible Camp in 1995. This camp originally was held at the Allen ranch near Genoa, Colorado. For the past eight years it has been held at Hugo, Colorado in June at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds where Gail has continued to serve as camp director. The Colorado Cowboys For Jesus were born 34 years ago when Vern Thomson became a member of the Flying W Wranglers, at the World Famous Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Vern was a believer and was privileged to work at the Flying W and tell a secular audience of God's Love. Joe Stephenson, a fellow believer joined him 19 years ago and the two have been praising God, playing & singing together ever since. Read more about Cowboys for Jesus and Vern Thomson.